When Will They Learn?

In Milwaukee, the police chief Ed Flynn says, “My message to my troops is if you see anybody carrying a gun on the streets of Milwaukee, we’ll put them on the ground, take the gun away and then decide whether you have a right to carry it.”

Since when does a police chief decide who has what rights? Our rights are God-given and are protected by our Constitution. Government documents do not grant us rights, those documents limit the power of government to infringe upon our rights.

Self-defense is a primary human right that must never be stripped away.

The silence surrounding this comment was deafening. There was no uproar about this power-hungry militant’s efforts to impose his will upon the people living in “his” community. The local newspapers hardly gave the comment a second look. They were more concerned with the memo issued by Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen that affirmed the legality of open carry in Wisconsin. What followed that memo were dark predictions of confused police officers and a Wild West mentality sweeping the state.

But I’m looking at this from the other side.

What would have happened on the editorial pages in Wisconsin if Flynn had come out and said, “If we see any negative press we will handcuff the reporters and editors, shut down that newspaper and decide if they have the right to publish that stuff.”

Can you imagine the uproar from the media?

Just like a politician who starts working to get reelected the day he takes office, most American news outlets will only fight for the rights that serve their purposes. The news media wants freedom of the press, transparent government, freedom from unreasonable search and seizure and more all in the name of the Fourth Estate. You know the Fourth Estate; the idea that a free press, with the right to point out the problems of government is a check against the rise of tyranny.

But these days the media apparently feels it should be the ONLY check against the rise of tyranny. And in doing so, has become something of a tyrant, spewing half-truths and propaganda in order to push the liberal gun control agenda.

So it was with great glee (yes, glee) that I watched Lou Dobbs of CNN report on the Obama administration’s backdoor attempt to strip the power of the Second Amendment by ratifying a treaty signed by Bill Clinton. You can see the segment at wp.gundigest.com.

What I love most about the segment is right at the end when Dobbs says, “Obama wants to do a few things with your guns… like take them away.”

How blatant is the government’s gun control agenda that even a liberal media outlet like CNN finally sees it and reports on it? Maybe somebody at CNN finally realized that gun control is not about guns; it is about control. And when the Second Amendment falls, the others will fall in rapid succession.

Take the Patriot Act as an example. In the fear and loathing that followed the 9/11 attacks the American people allowed the government to implement a law that strips us of nearly all Constitutional protections. Think about how many liberal Democrats cried foul that George W. Bush was using the Patriot Act to strip away people’s rights and liberty. According to those politicians Bush’s use of the Patriot Act was a horrible abuse of power.

Do you think those same liberal Democrats, with control of Congress and the White House, will now vote to repeal the Patriot Act? NEVER! They will now use the act for their benefit because politicians give up power about as often as they give up the ability to levy taxes.

The old saying is true: Freedom is never given. It is only taken.

Power-hungry people take freedom from those they “lead.” And eventually when those people are sick to death of dealing with tyranny, they take their freedom back.

Sadly, such actions are always messy. It’s much better to protect your freedoms than to try to fight to regain them.